Ward manager Rosemary Tollitt changed the order in which patients were seen without telling colleagues – meaning the wrong man was brought into theatre and given the snip.

She was sacked by Broadgreen Hospital bosses after the blunder and has now been suspended by the nursing watchdog for 12 months.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council ruled her care for the man, known only as Patient A, was “wholly inadequate”.

The misconduct panel concluded: “Mrs Tollitt’s conduct has brought the profession into disrepute.”

The tribunal found Mrs Tollitt guilty of a raft of misconduct charges, including failing to carry out an identity check on the patient, not following surgical guidelines and not telling colleagues about a change she had made to the operating list.